Protection from Norovirus

Norovirus, the USA’s leading cause of foodborne illness, has become known as causing mass outbreaks of food poisoning – and misery – in restaurants.

Food handlers, such as cooks and waiters, cause about 70% of norovirus outbreaks related to contaminated food, mostly through touching “ready to eat” foods – such as sandwiches or raw fruit – with their bare hands, according to a new report from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 90% of contamination occurred during food preparation, and 75% of food involved in outbreaks was consumed raw.

Business practices in the food industry may contribute to the problem.

One in five restaurant workers admits having reported to work while sick with diarrhea and vomiting – the two main symptoms of norovirus – within the past year, the CDC says.

About 20 million Americans are sickened with norovirus every year, with a total of 48 million suffering food poisoning from all causes. The highly contagious family of viruses also causes up to 1.9 million doctor visits; 400,000 emergency room visits; up to 71,000 hospitalizations; and up to 800 deaths, mostly in young children or the elderly. Infections cost the country $777 million in health care costs.

Norovirus is wildly contagious.

As few as 18 viral particles can make people sick. In other words, a speck of viruses small enough to fit on the head of pin is potent enough to infect more than 1,000 people, according to a CDC report. The virus can spread rapidly in close quarters, as well, such as dormitories, military barracks and nursing homes.

“Norovirus is one tough bug,” said CDC director Thomas Frieden.

Norovirus can make people violently ill so quickly that they don’t have time to reach a bathroom, says Doug Powell, a food safety expert in Brisbane, Australia, and author of barfblog.com. People who get sick in public often expose many others. Norovirus also can live on surfaces, such as countertops and serving utensils, for up to two weeks.

Norovirus is also the Terminator of germs — very tough to kill. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers don’t work very well, says Lee-Ann Jaykus, a professor of food science at North Carolina State University. That makes frequent handwashing important.

Helping Restaurants protect themselves from a Norovirus outbreak.

Proper food handling and cleaning are very important to keeping viruses out of the building, but employees are busy and do not always do every step correctly. EcoVive provides Antimicrobial surface treatments that provides protection against germs and viruses even when employees are not following the proper steps to clean.

The Micro-biostatic Antimicrobial Coating forms a protective surface protectant by forming a nano-size bed of spikes that disrupts the microorganism’s membrane resulting in the loss of energy in the microbe and its demise. This new technology provides a perfect approach to inhibiting microorganisms without the use of unsafe heavy metals or poisons. This mode of action is entirely unique to other antimicrobial treatments. Our System is one of the most powerful and effective ways to stop the spread of disease because it works day after day to eliminate the infectious micro-organisms where they live.

Cleaning is always essential, but adding an Antimicrobial treatment on a regular cycle can provide extraordinary microbial reductions as high as 99% over a 30-60 cycle. The fact that our AntiMicrobial Protectant can be applied with a minimum of interruption is important. Having is certainly lean extra layer of protection provided by EcoVive is less expensive than gallons of disinfectants, many hours of paid labor, and the fact that there is no residual protection in these traditional sanitizing methods.

Eliminating Germs from School Buses

With school starting up again, thousands of children in the Grand Rapids area are climbing onto the school bus. And by late afternoon, children will be returning home with more than filled backpacks and homework – from a busy day at school and the bus ride home, there is ample opportunity for the transmission of germs.

Every year some 480,000 school buses carry 25 million children — more than half of America’s schoolchildren — each day, making the school bus industry the largest form of mass transit in the United States. Unfortunately, school bus conditions are mostly overlooked as a breeding ground for environmental contamination, and pathogenic microorganisms such as MRSA, Staph, Salmonella, and E. Coli.

While children are on the school bus, ample opportunities for exposure to and transmission of germs exist. Children transfer germs from runny noses and non-hygienic things they touch from the support rail going into the bus; to arm rests, chair backs, windows and the seats.

The challenge for many schools is how to make sure that the school buses are being not only cleaned properly, but they are being disinfected also. And this is where most school systems fail. This regularly results in many children becoming too sick to attend classes and more importantly come to school with a contagious infection which can spread to other students, via common or high touch surfaces.

Did you know?

National Institute of Health states that up to 80% of diseasesare transmitted through surface contamination with increasingly dangerous bacteria and viruses, e.g. MRSA and Norovirus

The CDC recommends a sanitizing and disinfecting regiment that includes school class rooms, bathrooms, common areas, locker rooms, and other critical areas to prevent, reduce and mitigate transference. School busses are also high on the list of suggested areas to be properly disinfected on a regular routine to prevent and reduce infections from spreading.

Non-Toxic, safe way to treat school buses against germs

EcoVive has the perfect solution to many of these ongoing challenges. We use a broad spectrum biocide hospital grade disinfectant, rated Class IV, 100% non-toxic by the EPA. This is a revolutionary and proprietary formula that targets harmful contaminants while causing no harm to you or the environment and eliminates odors. It is ideal to use around children, the elderly and those with allergies, asthma or immune deficiencies and does not emit or produce volatile organic compounds (VOC’s). It is non-corrosive, non-flammable, non-chlorinating, phosphate free, hypo-allergenic and a true biodegradable product. It will provide immediate disinfection as well as residual protection. It is non-corrosive so it does not need to be wiped off of a surface to prevent damage.

This biocide has been tested effective as a sporicide, germicide, bactericide, fungicide and biocide. Its proprietary formulation makes it a unique disinfection system targeting the most harmful virus, bacteria, fungi, and spores while remaining safe and eco-friendly.

After the application of the broad spectrum biocide, we then apply a Micro-biostatic coating to the interior of the bus, taking special care to target the high touch areas. The Micro-biostatic Antimicrobial Coating forms a protective surface protectant by forming a nano-size bed of spikes that disrupts the microorganism’s membrane resulting in the loss of energy in the microbe and its demise. This new technology provides a perfect approach to inhibiting microorganisms without the use of unsafe heavy metals or poisons. Because we accomplish all of this without the use of poisons or metals and do not create microbial resistant strains, we are the ‘Green’ solution to inhibit microbial growth.

To find out more about our treatments for school buses, visit our website at: www.eco-vive.com

Protecting medical offices from C.diff

As C. Difficile (C.diff) becomes a serious problem in doctor offices, health clinics and dental offices, now is the time for a better approach to combating these threats. The normal cleaning taking place in the medical offices is not protecting the patients from C. diff. and other viruses and bacteria.

“C.difficile was responsible for almost half a million infections and was associated with approximately 29,000 deaths in 2011”, as reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Creating Healthy Indoor environments in medical offices should be a top priority for all those involved. Having a cleaning company take care of the day to day cleaning is important, but it is not enough. This is being proven by the increase in C. diff. cases that are showing up outside of hospitals. Employing a company that can provide sanitizing services is the next step in providing a safe place for your customers.

Bio-Sanitizing With Ozone

Sanitizing is the normal and natural duty for ozone.

Nearly 100 years ago, it was discovered that ozone is the second most powerful sterilant in the world. It is 3000 more effective than chlorine in water. Ozone is 2.5 times better than bleach as a germicide. The trouble is it cannot be bottled or sold as a commodity by chemical distributors.

Used as both a gas and liquid, ozone can clean and sanitize medical offices very efficiently.

Ozone attacks bacteria and viruses by destroying the outer membrane. There is no defense as the gas penetrates throughout the building, and the liquid ozone is used to clean all hard surfaces. Medical facilities are pleased to know that there is no residue or VOCs created by this process.

In addition to the normal cleaning, concerned organizations will treat their facilities once a month or once a quarter to reduce the growing concerns for infections.

Bacteria cannot mutate to avoid ozone attacks. It kills germs with the same effect the first time and the hundredth time.

Antimicrobial surface treatment

There is a huge need to revisit our sanitizing processes that are not working. Bleach is not the ultimate solution. It is high in VOC causing later-life health issues, and it does not provide a 24/7 kind of proactive microbial barrier that is desperately needed. Antimicrobial surface treatments are the proactive choice. If a facility waits for diseases to strike before offering a response, the cost and threat are huge.

BioZone Protectant is one of the leading antimicrobial coatings that allows quick application of an EPA approved antimicrobial surface treatment with the ability to inhibit disease for three to six months. BioZone Protectant is non-toxic, non-transferable, and non-leaching once dried. It is easily applied to soft or hard surfaces. It can be applied on smooth or porous surfaces as well. It does not require light to activate it. BioZone Protectant works 24/7 to fight pathogenic microbes even though it is a nanotechnology process that is unseen.

Schedule a consultation with our certified odor specialist. We will map out a program that will provide the triple punch that will keep your facility and your clients safe.

Disinfection Services for Daycares & Preschools

When it comes to preschools and daycares, proper disinfection is imperative. Children don’t always understand the importance of proper hygiene, so germs can spread quickly. Don’t leave your daycare or preschool vulnerable to all types of harmful bacteria, viruses, or germs. EcoVive of Grand Rapids uses a process that provides for whole room disinfection. Our Ozone system will seek out and eradicate pathogens completely from the areas that children and staff work and play. We follow this up with BioZone protectant Antimicrobial surface treatment that can be applied to both porous and non-porous surfaces to provide up to 90 days of protection against pathogens. In one simple treatment you can enjoy a healthier environment that is pathogen free.

Protecting the Reputation of your business is very important. One of the worst things that can happen is for people to get sick when they visit your business. This can be caused by bacteria or viruses that have found a way into your business. They are the unwanted visitors that nobody wants.

Once infections have made people sick, you will be forced to go into “Damage Control” to keep your business from being financially impacted. As a public facility, word will spread and customers will avoid your facility to avoid disease. The Internet makes negative news into an overnight disaster that is impossible to reverse. In the end, lost revenue, litigation problems, and possible business failure can result from an unwanted illness at your place of business.
EcoVive of Grand Rapids offers infection control for both Businesses and homes.

BioZone Protectant is the affordable and effective solution that will break the infection cycle for any facility. It requires a minimal effort to provide the maximum level of infection control for any school, day care center, restaurant, workout center, busses, limousines, any business that relies on the public to make money.
The BioZone System is a powerful benefit that has value to those who will visit your facility. Reputation is hard to earn and easy to lose. Imagine the impact of a few patrons with food poisoning from a local restaurant in a day of social media in the community. Horrible skin diseases like MRSA overshadow other common illnesses like foot fungus, pink eye, impetigo, and cellulitis. Protect your reputation and the health of those in your care.
EPA Approved Antimicrobial for Facility Safety
Extra Benefits:
•​Powerful odor reduction in facility
•​Non-toxic and Non-Leaching is also safe for toys, play areas, and food preparation surfaces.
•​Hospital tested and documented successes
When it comes to value, BioZone is exceptional for the numerous benefits it brings. This is done in a safer, Greener, and environmentally safe manner that does not complicate your life.
The non-toxic treatment is safe for food areas, schools, day care, hotels, restaurants, gyms, and spas. There is no extra scent, no allergenic concerns, or fear of reaction.
When it comes to cost, imagine the cost in manpower and product to do a thorough sanitizing program. Post-infection sanitizing can runs thousands of dollars. Add to that the cost of getting customers to come back. A professional BioZone treatment can be a third of the cost of other forms of post-infection clean up.***For a free demo call:

Germ Protection Program

One customer getting sick in your Grand Haven restaurant can do a lot of harm to your name. It may be that it will be reported through social media about getting sick, or your restaurant may be shut down and need to be cleaned from top to bottom before it can be opened for business again. This can all be avoided with a germ protection program from EcoVive.

Keeping you Grand Haven restaurant clean is the first step, but cleaning is not sanitizing. And, most employees are not properly disinfecting tables when they clean them off. For the normal use of bleach water to be effective it must remain “wet” on the surface for 5-10 minutes. Do your employees do this?

With the use of an Ozone treatment, which will significantly reduce germs, viruses and bacteria on both porous and non-porous surfaces, followed by an Antimicrobial Treatment with BioZone protectant which protects surfaces up to 90 days?

The application is guaranteed to significantly reduce germs long term. We show the process is working by performing a simple swab test which shows a germ “count” before and after the treatment process. During the 90 day window a random testing can be done to show the treatment is still working.

When a facility has been treated with BioZone Protectant, a logo will be placed in an obvious place so that your customers will know that your restaurant has taken the proper steps to create a healthy indoor environment for their safety.

To find out more about this important program give us a call, or fill out our contact form on our website and we will contact you.

Remember, once someone becomes ill in your restaurant and spreads the word, it is much harder and often times more expansive to gain the public’s trust.

School Sanitizing

Enterovirus D68 is going to sweep through our schools and daycare centers like a cruel stalker to make countless children very sick. Dozens of cases have already been confirmed. While the reaction from school officials to a threat like this is to perform a school sanitizing by wiping every thing down with a bleach cleaner will help, it is not the best method. When school opens the next day the first infected child to touch a surface voids all cleaning efforts. This is because the bleach offers no lasting benefits. School sanitizing needs to go further than just bleach, it needs to offer a long lasting protection of all surfaces against germs and viruses.

We offer a better solution to fighting of these dangerous viruses. With a treatment of our Biozone protectant, not only will a complete school sanitizing be performed, but also a layer of protection will be in place that is constantly fighting the reinfection of surfaces that have been treated. Biozone protectant is a 24/7/365 germ fighting program, that can be applied to any surface, hard or soft. It is non-toxic, non-transferring and non-leaching. Once dry, there is no worries of little children putting things in their mouths.

If schools and daycare centers are sanitizing with bleach water they are doing o.k. But they need to be doing more. Bleach works, but it’s like the difference between a match and a blowtorch. A match will burn for a minute, but a blowtorch will burn for hours. If you are fending off a fierce threat, you do not want to use a match if you could be using a blowtorch.

School is in ! The Enterovirus is already spreading and making children seriously ill, and even killing some. EcoVivehas an answer that will do the job of protecting our children.

Antimicrobial coating helps protect against germs and viruses

Are you worried about all the viruses and germs that seem to be showing up lately? Being proactive instead of reactive to these viral threats can help keep you or a family member from becoming seriously ill.

Germs spread by Direct Contact with people, Indirect Contact with shared surfaces, or by coughs and sneezes. Interrupting these pathways to infection and promoting a healthier environment is what EcoVive of West Michigan offers.

Cleaning is not sanitizing. The EPA points out that sanitizers must be on the surface for 2-10 minutes to kills common bacteria and virus. Cleaning programs do not allow for proper sanitizing practices. Plus, consider the real cost of manpower and toxic chemicals to sanitize a building. EcoVive offers an Antimicrobial surface treatment that can be applied to all surfaces, walls, and materials in far less time, with greater results.

The spread of dangerous bacteria and viruses is inhibited by the protective coating. We are pleased to demonstrate and provide estimates for the year-round antimicrobial treatment. This is not a spray sanitizer. It is a treatment that stays on the surface working 24/7 to inhibit bacteria, germs, odors, allergens, mildew, and even mold. It works like an air purifying system that attracts microbial threats with a biostatic charge, and then pierces the microbes as they land.

This Micro-biostatic Antimicrobial Coating forms a nano bed of spikes on surfaces that disrupt the microorganism’s membrane. This will cause the microbe to lose energy and quickly die. This new technology provides a perfect approach to inhibiting microorganisms without the use of unsafe heavy metals or poisons. This mode of action is entirely unique to other antimicrobial sprays.

The molecule in the Antimicrobial coating is made up of several sections. One end of the molecule forms a strong bond to the surface that it is applied onto or into. The surface can be either porous or non-porous. The other end of the molecule forms a microscopic bed of nails that stand straight up from the surface. This nano bed of nails disrupts the microbe’s membrane resulting in its demise. All of this takes place without the use of heavy metals, poisons, or chemicals.

Because this Antimicrobial Coating mechanically disrupts the membrane of microbes, no antimicrobial resistant “superbugs” are ever created from the treatment.

Chemical Disinfectants in Your Home, are they helping or hurting you

Chemical Disinfectants are indeed a necessity in the medical field. But they’re also a classic example of a good thing gone bad. Many people today go on cleaning frenzies in their own homes, using disinfectants on their kitchen countertops, bathrooms, floors and even in their laundry.

But while disinfectant soap may be a good idea before surgery, there’s no need to use it every time you wash your kitchen counters.

One of the major problems with these cleaners, as studies have pointed out, occurs when they don’t completely eliminate bacteria or viruses.

When disinfectants are used in low levels, researchers have found that they actually make certain bacteria stronger and resistant to antibiotic treatment. This is true even in hospital settings, and certainly applies to the low-level disinfectants many use around their homes.

While building up antibiotic-resistance and thereby contributing to the creation of superbugs, chemical disinfectants disrupt the balance of bacteria, both good and bad, in your home, making it much easier for the bad bacteria to flourish.

Meanwhile, the chemicals themselves are toxic in their own right.

Are you introducing Toxic Chemicals into your home as you clean?

The invention of chemical disinfectants is credited to Joseph Lister, an English surgeon who, back in the late 19th century, used carbolic acid to soak surgical dressings. To this day, Lister’s carbolic acid, now known as phenol, is a common main ingredient in household detergents like Lysol, Pine-Sol and Spic-n-Span (it’s also found in mouthwash).

When you use these “cleaning” products in your home, you’re also exposing your family to their harmful properties. Phenol is toxic and people who are hypersensitive can experience serious side effects at very low levels. Studies have linked phenols to:

Damage to your respiratory and circulatory systems

Heart damage

Respiratory problems

Damage to your liver, kidneys and eyes

Nonyl phenol ethoxylate, a common ingredient in laundry detergents and all-purpose cleaners, is banned in Europe, and biodegrades slowly into even more toxic compounds

Beyond phenol, other chemicals found in household disinfectants include:

Formaldehyde, found in spray and wick deodorizers, which is a suspected carcinogen

Petroleum solvents in floor cleaners may damage mucous membranes

Butyl cellosolve, found in many all-purpose and window cleaners, may damage your kidneys, bone marrow, liver and nervous system

Triclosan, the active ingredient in most antibacterial products, not only kills bacteria, it also has been shown to kill human cells

EcoVive offers a better way to protect your family against harmful germs and bacteria. Ozone, which is one of nature’s most powerful disinfectant oxidizer,

will eliminate the germs and bacteria in your home and not leave behind any harmful by-products. This is followed by an Anti-Microbial surface treatment that forms a non-leaching bond with all the surfaces to protect against odors, germs, bacteria and viruses. This is achieved not with chemicals, but with what could be described as building a microscopic razor wire fence on all surfaces that rips apart any cell that tries to get through.

It is time that we start getting away from all the chemicals being used, and use what is a natural, and better way to protect against disease causing “bugs”.

The importance on cleaning schools, daycare centers, and play areas is simply not enough. It has become common knowledge that these child-intensive areas are notorious infection transfer sites for nearly every disease making the rounds. Disease pass through these areas then pass through the family. For many, the acceptance of disease exposure is part of the cost of raising a family in our society. This is more than unfortunate because an illness is only part of the problem. Lost work, health complications, and death may be avoided with a small elevation in infection prevention. EcoVive offers an affordable and practical solution to a substantial reduction strategy of infectious threats with an Antimicrobial surface treatment program utilizing BioZone Protectant.

Independent lab testing shows that BioZone antimicrobial coating applied by EcoVive is capable of dramatic reduction of microbial threats. Cleaning is always essential, but adding a BioZone Protectant treatment on a regular cycle can provide extraordinary microbial reductions at high as 99% over a 30-60 day cycle. The fact that our Antimicrobial surface treatment can be applied with a minimum of interruption is important. BioZone is professionally applied and bonds with the any surface. We can treat soft material like clothes, carpet, toys and furniture. We can also treat all surfaces throughout the building. Once dried, the coating will prevent bacteria from colonizing on surfaces, odors are eliminated, and mold is reduced.

BioZone is not a spray sanitizer. It is a treatment that stays on the surface working 24/7 to inhibit bacteria, germs, odors, allergens, mildew, and even mold. It works like an air purifying system that attracts microbial threats with a biostatic charge, and then pierces the microbes as they land.

This Micro-biostatic Antimicrobial Coating forms a nano bed of spikes on surfaces that disrupt the microorganism’s membrane. This will cause the microbe to lose energy and quickly die. This new technology provides a perfect approach to inhibiting microorganisms without the use of unsafe heavy metals or poisons. This mode of action is entirely unique to other antimicrobials.

Call EcoVive today to find out how we can help protect your school, daycare center or play area from disease.